The conversation also included BRAC and the $1 billion Redstone Gateway office park, expected to produce $275 million in new taxes for the city over the next 35 years.

"We talked about the future growth of the area," Battle said, "because they (credit rating agencies) want to see that Huntsville has the potential for growth that will fund the expenses of the government."

The mayor also spoke with several national media outlets about the Rocket City, including CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and space.com.

Past New York media tours have resulted in a flurry of positive press for Huntsville.